#1

Patrick Ngowi, Solar Power Millionaire (Tanzania)




Over the last few months, Nigerians have suffered one of the most severe fuel scarcity ordeals ever. Without PHCN and fuel, millions of Nigerians had to endure total darkness.

But how can a country of 180 million people, which receives no less than 325 days of free, God-given sunlight every year, spend billions of Naira annually on electricity bills, petrol and diesel?

What if most Nigerians didn’t have to bother about PHCN or spend their hard-earned money on fuel for generators?

In Tanzania, a country of just over 45 million people, one young entrepreneur has built a multi-million dollar business from solar power.
Patrick Ngowi, who just turned 30 years old, has been featured on CNN, Forbes, BBC and The Huffington Post and was won several awards for the remarkable business he has built in the power sector.

How did he do this?

Just a few years ago, using seed capital of $1,800, which he borrowed from his mother, Patrick started importing solar panels and was installing them in areas which were unconnected to the National grid.

To date, his company has installed solar power systems in hundreds of private homes, public buildings, schools, hospitals and NGO missions across Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. His clients include the United Nations, WHO, The Tanzanian Army and several others.

In 2013 alone, Patrick’s business made over $8 million from the sales and installation of solar power products across East Africa.

Why don’t we have a Patrick in Nigeria yet? Solar power remains a virgin market that Nigeria has barely touched. I’m already looking at solar-powered refrigerator/freezers for the local market.

If you want to find out how to exploit the huge potentials in the solar power business, and read more inspiring success stories like this one, you should read ‘101 Ways To Make Money In Africa’

It’s an amazing book every aspiring Nigerian entrepreneur should read.

To check it out, Click Here.

Watch out for my next favourite inspiring success story.

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#2

Bethlehem Alemu, Founder of Africa’s fastest growing footwear company (Ethiopia)




Have you noticed how talented some of our local shoemakers in Nigeria are? Some of them make such beautiful and high quality footwear. In fact, I still have a lovely pair of sandals custom-made for me since 2009 by one of those local craftsmen who had a small shop in Yaba (Lagos). I still rock the same sandals till today!

This story is the same in many parts of Africa. We have very talented and skilled craftspeople who make great stuff. The problem is, many of them remain poor because they don’t have access to premium markets.

Bethlehem Alemu comes from a region of Ethiopia that is well known for their beautiful and high quality footwear products. For those who don't know, Ethiopia is Africa’s largest producer of leather, and one of the top sources of high grade leather in the world.

Bethlehem saw a huge opportunity in her local community and started to organise the local craftsmen to make high quality footwear which she sold and exported to the international market.

Her simple idea paid off. (It’s important to note here that Bethlehem herself had no skills whatsoever in shoemaking before entering the footwear business.)

Today, her brand, Solerebels, is one of the world’s top eco-friendly footwear brands. Her shoes are made from hand-woven fabrics, old car tyres and several other recycled materials.

Solerebels became the first footwear company in the world to be certified by the World Free Trade Organisation. Her shoes are in high demand in Europe, North America and have been sold as far away as Japan.

Her idea, which has now become a multi-million dollar footwear brand, was started with borrowed money from friends and family.

Bethlehem, at 35 years old, has been featured several times on Forbes, CNN and the BBC. In 2013, she was listed by Fast Company as one of the ‘100 Most Creative People in Business’.

In April last year, she announced the launch of another company, The Republic of Leather, that will make products to target the luxury leather goods market.

It’s true what they say… success usually leads to more success!

If you're an artistic and creative person, and want to learn more about the opportunities in the footwear business Click here.

Watch out for my next favourite inspiring success story.

#3

Nkulenu, The Masters of Bottled Palm Wine (Ghana)




Did you know that in 2014 alone, Nigeria spent more than $50 million on champagne and imported wines?

Nigeria is the fastest growing market for foreign wines in Africa. We spend millions of Naira every year on exotic alcoholic beverages like beer, wines and spirits. But what about our local alcoholic beverages? Don’t we have something to offer the world?

Nkulenu is a family-owned business in Ghana that has successfully bottled local palm wine and exports it to markets in the UK, Western Europe and the USA. This product is enjoyed especially by West Africans who miss the taste of sweet palm wine.

I hear it’s a top favourite in restaurants in Europe and America where it is served.

If I could always get chilled and well-preserved palm wine everytime I hang out to drink, I would never spend my money on Star, Gulder or Guinness Stout.

Do you know how much money companies like Nigerian Breweries and Diageo (Guinness) make in Nigeria every year?

Can you guess the revenues of brands like Hennessey, Moet and Johnny Walker in Nigeria alone?

It’s in the multi-millions of dollars.

The market for alcoholic beverages in Nigeria is huge. With over 75 million males of drinking age, our country is the largest and most concentrated market for alcoholic beverages in Africa.

The ongoing disaster caused by ‘poisonous’ local gin (aka ‘ogogoro’), which has now been outlawed, presents another interesting business opportunity for smart entrepreneurs.

What if there was a NAFDAC-registered brand of ‘ogogoro’ in the market? I’ll bet you that it’s a product that will sell like crazy in motor parks and local joints across urban and rural Nigeria.

The huge successes of Alomo Bitters and Orijin in Nigeria are testament to the lucrative potential of our local African beverages.

If you want to learn more about opportunities in the alcoholic beverage market, and read more inspiring success stories like this one, you should read ‘101 Ways To Make Money In Africa’

It’s an amazing book every aspiring Nigerian entrepreneur should read.

To check it out, Click here.

Watch out for my next favourite inspiring success story.

sagr:
D list is not complete witout aitforce1,temitemi,tosyn2much,INTROVERT,importexport.

#4

Lorna Rutto, The Queen of Plastic Recycling (Kenya)




In Nairobi, Kenya, just like in Lagos and other major towns and cities in Nigeria, plastic waste is a huge problem. The city of Nairobi generates up to 3,000 tons of waste a day. This is less than one-quarter of the waste produced in Lagos daily, but it’s still a huge volume nonetheless.

Lorna Rutto is a young Kenyan entrepreneur who used to work in a bank. She quit her job in 2009 to start a small business that collects plastic waste from the city and converts them into poles, like the ones we use in Naija as ‘electric poles’ and ‘fencing poles’.

Why poles? What’s the big deal about poles?

That’s the same thing I thought until I learned that Kenya has been losing its vast forests to severe deforestation caused by people cutting down trees for timber. In fact, timber has become more expensive as supply cannot meet the huge market demand.
That’s the opportunity that Lorna saw.

The plastic poles that Lorna’s small company produces have proven to be a top alternative to timber in the market. Since she started production, she has made over $350,000 in revenues, saved over 250 acres of valuable forest areas and created over 500 direct and indirect jobs.

In 2011, she was awarded the Cartier Women’s Initiative Award. Lorna has been featured on CNN, Forbes and several other international media.

Her revolutionary success with plastic waste has attracted investment in her business, which helped her to move to a bigger production facility.

Apart from poles, plastic waste has a lot of other interesting uses. Recycled plastic waste is used to make jeans, carpets, rugs and several other stuff.

If you want to learn more about opportunities in the waste recycling industry, and read more inspiring success stories like this one, Click here

Watch out for my next favourite inspiring success story.

wow inspiring,i would love to be able to make shoes though.....dope shoes,sneakers and all.....

twentyk:
wow inspiring,i would love to be able to make shoes though.....dope shoes,sneakers and all.....

It's totally possible. There are already a couple of young Nigerians already doing it. I'll give you two examples...

First is TTDalk, the fast rising footwear brand by Temilade Osinfade, who started making custom footwear for people while at university. Now, he has several outlets in Nigeria. I've been at his brand shop at the Silverbird Galleria in Lagos and his products are great.

Second is Ese Odiete, who graduated from university only a few years ago. She uses local Naija fabric like adire to make fashionable footwear. A few months ago, she met with Sir Richard Branson as part of the re-branding for Virgin Atlantic.

You know what the amazing thing is? Both Temilade and Ese don't personally make the footwear they sell. They just design and have skilled local shoemakers who make the footwear.

So, yes, you too can build your own footwear business too. These success stories prove that it's possible. You just need to be creative and entrepreneurial to successfully pull it off.